The New York University men's volleyball team, ranked #9 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), lost a tightly-contested match to #4 Springfield College on Thursday, April 9, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (16-10), playing in their regular-season finale, fell in four sets (24-26, 26-24, 25-18, 25-19).
NYU and Springfield (22-6) swapped overtime sets to begin the match. The Violets clinched the first one on a kill by
Chase Klein, and then the Pride secured the second on a kill by Keaton Pieper.
NYU was within 17-16 in the third set when Springfield scored the next three points. The Violets halted that streak by scoring two of their own, but the Pride then closed out the set by scoring the last five points.
In the final set, the Violets raced out to a 10-7 lead. However, Springfield scored the next seven points and NYU was never able to recapture the lead.
"We were playing against a really good Springfield team. They've won national championships," said senior captain Andrew Quirk, who was playing in his final collegiate game at Coles. "We played with fire and passion and started playing to our potential. It's what Coach (Jose) Pina has been stressing all season. And, even though we lost, this is a stepping stone for us."
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Nick Benson (15) and Klein (13) each recorded double-digit kills for the Violets.
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Patrick Merrick (22) and
Derrick Chiu (13) each totaled double-digit assists.
Merrick also totaled a team-high six digs.
-,Quirk contributed four assists and three digs.
"Hard work pays off," Quirk concluded. "Hopefully, we can continue that tomorrow."
The Violets are right back on the court tomorrow at 4:00 pm when they face Elmira College in the quarterfinals of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship, which is being hosted by the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.
